(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure for mounting battery electrode plates in a battery case, and in particular to a structure for mounting battery electrode plates in a battery case so as to prolong the operating life of the battery.
(b) Description the Prior Art
In recent years, applications of batteries have become very popular, especially after the development of motorcycles and automobiles. The lead acid battery has become an indispensable component of such vehicles. As shown in FIG. 1, the lead acid battery 10 is mainly comprised of components including a case 11, a negative plate group 12, a positive plate group 13, separators 14, electrolyte 15, and a sealing cover 16. The inside of the battery case 11 can be divided into several cell compartments 112 through partition plate 111, and each cell compartment 112 is installed with negative plates 12 and positive plates 13 which are made of lead (Pb) and lead bi-oxide (PbO.sub.2) which are respectively immersed in an electrolyte 15 made of a diluted sulfuric acid (H.sub.2 SO.sub.4) solution. The negative plates 12 and the positive plates 13 are separated by the separator 14 to avoid short-circuits due to mutual contact. In addition, the plate connectors 121, 123 of the positive and negative plates 12, 13 protrude upward, and the plate connectors 121 of the negative plates 12 are series combined with the negative terminal post 122, while the plate connectors 131 of the positive plates 13 are series combined with the positive terminal post 132. In addition, the negative terminal posts 122 and the positive terminal posts 132 in different cell compartments 112 can be further respectively series combined by the cell connectors 17, to respectively provide the electric terminal posts at the top of sealing cover 16, including a negative terminal post 123 and a positive terminal post 133. As long as the positive electrode wire (not shown in the figure) is connected to the positive terminal 133, and the negative electrode wire (not shown in the figure) is connected to the negative terminal 123, the lead acid battery 10 will provide an electric discharge function. The electric charge/discharge reactions are as follows: ##STR1##
Although the lead acid battery 10 has adequate electric charge/discharge functions, it is disadvantageous in that the battery case 11 is subject to resonant vibrations during charging/discharging operations. Because the negative and positive plates 12, 13 in fact are supported exclusively by the series combination of the negative terminal post 122 and the positive terminal post 132 at the top of the casing, with no series combination positioning structure being provided at the bottom, the negative and positive plates 12, 13 are not positioned in a stable manner. As a result, when a resonant vibration occurs, the negative and positive plates 12, 13 are usually vibrated at the same time, which causes the chemically-active materials to either drop off or to expand, thereby damaging the charging recoverability of the battery 10 and shortening its operating life.